Ipsos has released the results of its 'Most Influential Brands in New Zealand' study and technology brands lead the pack, with Google, Facebook and Microsoft taking the top three spots respectively, alongside four local brands.

When Emily Isle first joined FCB New Zealand back in the mid-2000s, she was the only digital media professional there. Almost a decade after leaving for New York, she returns to the country as its new general manager of digital marketing, finding herself in a whole new digital environment.

Samsung has become well-versed in the narrative of failure over the last year, with its product malfunction costing billions. However, rather than veering away from the F-word, the brand is embracing it in a new Colenso BBDO campaign featuring Kiwi BMX star Sarah Walker.

Samsung has launched the second iteration of its local campaign via Colenso BBDO, following the ‘Now you can’ initiative. The ad focuses on the light capabilities of the Galaxy S7 and Edge camera, using young, lively people enjoying their nighttime experiences in a variety of ways to get the message across.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and Samsung are taking international buyers of New Zealand wine back to the beginning with a virtual reality wine tour, showing off the country's landscapes and what they have to offer the food and drink industry around the world.

We often say a true friend is one who will point out potentially embarrassing situations, like clothing malfunctions, but what about a service station? Z Energy has taken out Colmar Brunton's March Ad Impact Award for its ‘Small things mean more’ spot about the importance of service and customer experience, highlighting how the staff can make everything easier for customers.

Having recently had himself 3D-printed as part of Spark's promotional push for the release of the iPhone 6, Henry Oliver looks at whether the concept of queuing for readily available items might soon become a thing of the past.

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Why we like it: Many brands worldwide put out ads and campaigns in light of International Women's Day last week, some with questionable reasoning (looking at you McDonald's). It's great to see inspiration paired with action with this particular campaign, with women able to make a call to a respective leader to ask career questions or get advice about a particular field. With 17 leaders available, including author Joy Cowley and scientist Michelle Dickenson, we hope many Kiwi woman took up the opportunity to chat.

Who's it for: Bags Not by Bcg2 and Go Well Consulting

Why we like it: A campaign that wants to save the world is a good one in our books. The 'Bags Not' campaign encourages Kiwis to say no to plastic bags and supports them to change their single-use habits. Short and sweet and not too preachy, the ad uses celebrities such as artist Dick Frizell and writer and TV presenter, Jaquie Brown to help Kiwi consumers make a behaviour change. However, the proof will be in the pudding to see if Kiwis can cut down on the 1.6 billion single-use plastic bags used each year.

Who’s it for: BNZ by Colenso BBDO

Why we like it: This is the second phase of BNZ’s ‘Bank of You’ and it continues the focus on community and empathy. Featuring different communities in different situations the ad shows banking is more than just suits and spreadsheets. From flower shops to friends, New Zealanders are diverse and so are their interests.